Suede is a natural or artificial material that is distinguished by its thinness, softness and velvety feel. It is widely used for making clothing. Due to its strength, moisture resistance, and hypoallergenicity, it is used for sewing fashion items, jackets, coats and accessories. There are some nuances that should be taken into account when caring for the material.
How to properly wash suede shoes?
For wet cleaning you will need a neutral soap solution and a suede sponge and a lint cloth. When carrying out wet cleaning, treat the area of contamination with a solution using a sponge. After this, take a fleecy cloth and blot thoroughly. Shoes should be dried at room temperature.
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Properties of artificial and natural suede
Natural suede has the following qualities:
- porosity;
- hairiness;
- ductility.
This material is obtained by combined tanning of sheep or deer hides (cattle are allowed). Suede absorbs moisture, and after swelling it becomes almost waterproof. It is a good, comfortable and breathable fabric. In appearance, it is a pile material, so products made from such suede are distinguished by velvety, and in softness it is very similar to fabric.
Expert opinion
Irina. Housewife.
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Things made from natural suede retain their structure perfectly, and it doesn’t matter whether you soak them or wash them in soap and water. This fabric will still be soft. It is also called washable leather.
Pollution comparison
Artificial suede is produced differently from natural suede. It is, if you can call it that, synthesized. Faux suede is made in two ways - woven and non-woven. When produced using the woven method, the material is of very high quality and reliable, it retains its strength and flexibility.
The essence of this method is special microfiber threads. They are used to weave material for future suede, after which it is passed through a special machine that creates pile on the fabric. This is how quality material is obtained. True, this method is very expensive and not accessible to everyone.
Another option for producing artificial suede is the non-woven method. It is based on the technology of gluing pile onto fabric. This material is of the lowest quality, but in appearance it is very similar to suede, so it can be confused with natural.
Expert opinion
Irina. Housewife.
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In order to distinguish these two types, you need to pay attention to the inside of the fabric. If there is a difference with the outside, this means that the suede was produced using a non-woven method.
Home Recipes
Cleaning a suede jacket consists of several stages. After each season, the product must be cleaned, taking into account the following recommendations:
- Clothes made from natural suede can be washed in a washing machine on a gentle cycle at low temperature.
- To prevent streaks, it is important to choose an instant powder or gel capsule.
- Do not overdry the product. It is better to leave the jacket to dry on a mannequin or hanger in a ventilated area.
- You need to iron clothes through the fabric. Material that has become rough after washing can be restored with vinegar by evenly sprinkling the solution on the item.
If stains, stains or scuffs appear on your favorite item, you need to prepare a special cleaning agent. Most often, collars and pockets become dirty. There are several ways to remove stains from suede products at home. Cooking will not take much time. The cost of homemade products is less than store-bought aerosols. Before application, it is better to test the selected solution on an inconspicuous internal area.
We suggest you familiarize yourself with How to remove stains on leatherette furniture and shoes easily and simply
Care Tips
In order not to have to spend a long time and tediously cleaning off the dirt, steaming them and doing other annoying things, you just need to regularly care for the item. Proper and regular care will help it last for a very long time.
Are you unplugging your washing machine?
Oh yes! No
Cloth
To treat clothes, use a special brush.
It is ideal for both clothing and shoes, bags, gloves and other accessories. With its help, your suede jacket will never fall off and will always look like a new thing. And also, it is necessary to use special sprays to restore and maintain color, and water-repellent ones. How to restore suede after washing? Using the methods described above.
Shoes
Shoe care is also important.
You should also use special sprays, varnishes and paints to maintain and care for your boots or shoes to prevent them from becoming rough. If your shoes get wet, dry them immediately. At the same time, do not forget to put the paper inside. This technique will help maintain the shape of the shoes and speed up drying from the inside.
Handwash
If you decide to wash your suede product by hand, you should know that it loves care. Washing should be done carefully and quickly. Under no circumstances should things be soaked for a long time. This material does not like this attitude.
Handwash
- Fill a container with warm water.
- Add laundry detergent or suede shampoo.
- Soak the item briefly.
- Take a brush and begin to gently and carefully rub, starting from those places that are most dirty.
- When finished, drain the soapy water and gently wring out the product.
- Fill up with new water without detergent and rinse your item. It is necessary to rinse until the water in the container becomes clear.
- Squeeze lightly and hang to drain and dry.
Do not squeeze too hard, this will damage the material. And if your suede was obtained using a non-woven method, then you shouldn’t get the whole thing wet at all.
Dilute soapy water and scrub the dirty part with a foam sponge. Afterwards, treat in the same way only with a clean sponge to rinse.
Proper drying
Drying the material is possible and even recommended at normal room temperature. The fact is that with greater heating, insufficient humidity and prolonged treatment at high temperatures, suede deteriorates and dries out. As a result, it becomes rough, cracks and fails.
Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to dry suede items near heaters. Simply hang the product in a room or place to dry and leave it overnight. This is a smart approach.
If you washed a suede bag, shoes or some other bulky wardrobe item, then you will need paper. It needs to be shoved inside a shoe or bag. This move is necessary to absorb moisture from the inside and maintain the shape of the product.
Street dirt: grass, snow, earth
Street, non-greasy dirt is the simplest type of dirt. This type of contamination also includes any other organic substances: vomit, blood, wine, sauces, food.
Fresh stains should be immediately blotted with any paper napkin and, if possible, covered with any absorbent. Then let it dry and clean with a brush or eraser.
If the dirt is colored and deeply ingrained, then you need to use vinegar, citric acid or hydrogen peroxide. For difficult cases, acetone is suitable.
To wash or not to wash - that is the question.
Natural suede cannot be directly “washed” in a machine, in a basin or under running water. It can only be dry cleaned. Faux suede is less fussy and some people put it in the washing machine. If you are one of those who are not afraid, read about it in the article about delicate washing. There are instructions for delicate mode. Cleaning suede items is the same for jackets, shoes and hats. Follow the tips and there will be no dirty spots left.
First, wipe the sole with a clean, damp cotton cloth, removing all sand and lumps of dirt. Try not to touch the fleecy top with this napkin to avoid staining it. Suede does not tolerate hot water, so when cleaning nubuck, suede jackets or berets, use warm water no higher than 40 °C.
Lining
If possible, carefully peel back the lining and wash it separately in the machine or by hand. After drying, sew back. Another variant:
- Lift the lining with your fingers and wrap the suede in a plastic bag.
- Wet the lining so that moisture does not get on the suede.
- Lather the stains with laundry soap and scrub.
- Rinse off under running water or shower.
- Wring out and absorb excess moisture with a towel.
- Dry the jacket with the washed lining inside out. Hang on a hanger away from heating devices.
We suggest you read How to remove an oil stain from clothes: effective home methods
Dry cleaning
This type of washing is the optimal way to clean suede products. In addition to the fact that this is a noble material and prefers dry cleaning, some products made from it cannot be washed at all. If on the label of the item you find a symbol prohibiting washing, congratulations, you will have to use dry cleaning using the methods outlined below.
Dry cleaning suede
Ethanol
It is good for removing makeup or greasy stains.
Despite the fact that ethyl alcohol is essentially an aggressive substance, it is good for removing such contaminants or, for example, a shiny area. Instructions for use:
- wet a piece of clean cloth with alcohol;
- treat the stain until it disappears;
- let things dry.
Soap solution
Another possibly suitable option. It is unlikely that grease can be removed this way, but simple mud stains can be removed. And this is done like this:
- To begin with, you need to use a rubberized or regular brush to remove dirt from the area that needs to be cleaned.
- Then, dilute a weak soap solution of laundry or baby soap in a container.
- Soak a cloth, rag or sponge in the mixture and apply it to the area to be cleaned.
- Then, in the same way, remove any remaining soap (rinse).
- Leave to dry.
Natural
A jacket made of natural suede can be cleaned using dry and wet methods. It is allowed to wash it by hand in water at a temperature of up to 45 degrees with laundry soap or detergent for wool and silk items.
A few rules to help prevent material damage:
- the jacket should not be soaked; it is better to fill a basin with water and wash the product laid out on a flat surface or hung on a hanger;
- cleaning should be gentle, the material should not be rubbed or wrung out, as this may cause the product to shrink in size;
- rinse only in warm water;
- To prevent the material from becoming coarser, you need to rub the jacket with a special mixture when it dries. The preparation is simple: take half a teaspoon of glycerin and dissolve it in a liter of water;
- After treatment with the mixture, the product is rolled on a flat surface into a tube. Thanks to this, glycerin is better absorbed into the material.
After 4–5 hours, when the twist is soaked, it is dried. To do this, it is better to hang it on a hanger or hanger so that the product is straightened.
Choice of product
Products made from artificial suede and genuine leather require special cleaning products; dry laundry detergent is not suitable for washing such material. To thoroughly clean and refresh nubuck outerwear, you should choose one of the following detergents:
- Washing gel is perfect; this liquid product washes well and washes out perfectly during the first rinse.
- Paste-like powders will cope with the task remarkably well and preserve the structure of the material.
- Laundry soap, or rather its aqueous solution, also has gentle characteristics. It is prepared before the cleaning process, 40-50 g of soap is dissolved in 0.5 liters of warm water and used.
- You should avoid using chlorine bleaches, even if there are stains on the product. They are removed in other ways before washing.
- Softeners and rinses are not used.
- You can use a special shampoo or detergent for the skin.
Only recommended products will help remove stains; the use of others may negatively affect the appearance of this type of clothing.
